Japan is preparing to launch a spacecraft to Mars’ moons to collect samples that could help scientists understand how the Solar System formed and how the ingredients for life reached Earth.
The unmanned Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission is scheduled to launch aboard an H3 rocket from Japan’s Tanegashima Space Center at 4:41 a.m. Tuesday, Japan time, according to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
The spacecraft is expected to reach Mars around August next year. It will study Phobos, one of Mars’ two moons, and collect at least 10 grams of surface material before eventually returning the samples to Earth. The mission will also observe Deimos, Mars’ smaller moon.
A small rover developed with French and German partners will examine Phobos’ surface to help guide the landing.
Scientists hope the samples will help determine whether Mars’ moons formed from material thrown into space by a major impact with Mars or were asteroids captured by the planet’s gravity.
The findings could provide clues about how water and organic materials reached the inner Solar System, potentially helping scientists understand how conditions for life developed on rocky planets.
The mission could also support future human exploration of Mars by studying how spacecraft could travel to and from the planet.
Japan has previous experience bringing space samples to Earth. Its Hayabusa2 mission returned 5.4 grams of asteroid material in 2020.
Meanwhile, China plans to launch its Tianwen-3 Mars sample-return mission around 2028, with samples potentially reaching Earth by 2031.
Researchers say material from Phobos could offer a different view of Mars’ history and help answer important questions about the origins of the Solar System.
